08 July 2008
Sarkozy to attend Olympics
(AFP; AP; Reuters) During talks at the G8 summit in Japan, French President Nicholas Sarkozy confirmed his intention to attend the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, and informed Chinese President Hu Jintao of his decision. Earlier, Sarkozy had made his attendance dependent on progress in dialogue between Beijing and the Tibetan government-in-exile. Sarkozy will also represent the 27-nation European Union as France currently holds the rotating EU presidency. A day earlier, China's ambassador to France warned Sarkozy against meeting with the Dalai Lama. Ambassador Kong Quan told reporters that a meeting during the Dalai Lama's visit to France in August 2008 would have "serious consequences". The French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner summoned China's ambassador to explain the comments and demonstrations attended by French MPs were held in front of the Chinese embassy in Paris.